Medical images, such as X-rays, CAT (computerized axial tomography) scans, and MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), may be digitized to facilitate remote reading by radiologists. A hospital or other medical facility may use machines that capture and digitize the images and transmit them to a remote image server, such as a Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS). The transmission may occur over a network, such as an intranet or the Internet.
Additionally, the hospital may also transmit orders corresponding to the images to an order server, such as a Radiologist Information System (RIS). The orders may be requests for a radiologist to interpret, or read, the images and return a diagnostic report. Orders may also contain information, such as a patient identifier, the procedure type associated with the image, patient demographic information, and a hospital identifier.
Radiologists can interpret medical images at a radiologist workstation. An image viewer application at the workstation receives the medical images and presents the medical images to the radiologist. The radiologist reviews the medical images and provides a report based on an analysis of the medical images. For example, the radiologist may provide a diagnosis of a particular medical condition, such as a tumor, based on the medical images.